Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Group discussion method'

This research began from a position within the physical science paradigm as a straightforward investigation into how Foundation art students thought the project method helped them to learn. The insights gained from their answers were later employed in designing projects for other purposes and for other discipline areas. In order to accommodate the diverse and voluminous replies gathered from open-ended inquiry procedures, a system of categories was developed ranging from 80 sub-categories ascending through 10 to 3 principal categories. The three chief features of the project method which emerged as significant were those of inter-personal relationships, of project design and management, and of physical resources and environment. These three features provide important messagesf or the management of education at course and at institutional level. From the experience gained in using the three-stage method of inquiry, it was concluded that raw personal views, given without reflection or debate, represent the narrowest possible version of individual views. For a rich, fully processed deep response, those views must have been exposed to discussion within the group. This sfuctured group discussion was judged to be more than a mere process but rather a product with its own rationale and results, and one which provided a valuable educational experience. This three-stage 'learning conversation' was then transferred into a new arena, that of course evaluation. The student consultation meeting has since become accepted practice within a Polytechnic as a means of conveying to the course team how students perceive their courses. Staff may in turn use the reports to strengthen their course design and delivery, Finally, it was clear that a physical science paradigm with its goals of objectivity and detachment was not the true parent of this research activity. It was rather of different descent - from humanistic psychology, from action research in the social sciences and from the 'new paradigm' for human inquiry. These implications of paradigm shift are explored in the opening chapters.

Cette thèse traite de la communication assistée par ordinateur. Nous proposons AMANDA, une méthode algorithmique pour la médiation de discussions de groupe à distance destinée à l'articulation d'une discussion collective sans effort humain de coordination. La méthode consiste à lancer un ensemble de questions parmi un groupe de participants et ensuite à relancer leurs réponses et arguments en des cycles de discussions successifs. Tout au long de la discussion, des mécanismes intelligents identifient les interactions potentielles entre les participants du débat et proposent des nouvelles interactions entre eux. La discussion est structurée sous la forme d'un arbre de discussions, sur lequel la méthode réalise ses inférences. Nous proposons aussi la modélisation de la connaissance du domaine - à l'aide d'ontologies et de modèles de tâches - et une méthode de génération de questions en langage naturel à partir des modèles de domaine. La méthode Amanda a été implémentée et expérimentée dans des situations réelles de formation à distance<br>This thesis is about computer-mediated communication. It describes AMANDA, a computational method for mediating asynchronous group discussions among distant leamers. The proposed method is intended to coordinate collective discussions and improve group communication with negligible or no human effort. The method consists of launching a set of issues for collective debate and involving the participants in successive discussion cycles. At each cycle, the answers and arguments provided by the participants are intentionally redistributed among the group. Throughout the discussion, specifie mechanisms' search for potential interactions that might improve the debate and propose new interactions among the group. Ln addition to the intelligent mediation of group discussions, AMANDA supports knowledge representation (domain ontologies and task structures) and generates natural language questions to be used as issues for the debate. This work also describes the software prototype that implements the method and the experimental results frOID applying AMANDA in actual training situations

The purpose of this study was to investigate how a group of Chinese business students understood the nature and the purpose of the instruction techniques they were exposed to in Britain, and the attitudes the students, Chinese lecturers in China and British lecturers in Britain held towards seminar discussions. The study also investigated how and to what extent students’ prior learning experiences predisposed them to certain attitudes towards seminar discussions. The student participants in this study undertook Part I of their degree programme at a Chinese university for two years before transferring to Britain to study for one year, graduating with a British Bachelors Degree in International Business. Data was gathered from classroom observations, follow-up and exploratory interviews, and a questionnaire survey to discover more about the students’ learning experiences in Part I in China, and from classroom observations, audio-recordings, and follow-up and exploratory interviews to investigate the same group of students’ learning experiences in Part II in Britain. A ranking task and interviews were used to identify the preferences of Chinese students, British lecturers, and Chinese lecturers from China in terms of specific group discussion methods. The study identified three discussion methods used by students in British seminars: these have been termed ‘spiral’, ‘exploratory’ and ‘individual’ methods. The Chinese students tended to use the ‘spiral’ method, repeatedly bringing the discussion back to the question provided by the seminar tutor, whereas the non-Chinese students tended to use the ‘exploratory’ method, reformulating each other’s opinions and building on them by bringing in new information. When discussing within Chinese-only groups, the Chinese students used the ‘individual’ method whereby a group leader took responsibility for the outcomes of the discussion and the other members did not build upon each other’s contributions. Chinese and non-Chinese students sometimes misunderstood each others’ intentions, but were not likely to notice that miscommunication had occurred. The ranking task and the follow-up interviews revealed that the British lecturers preferred the ‘exploratory’ discussion method, whereas Chinese lecturers from China and Chinese students preferred the ‘spiral’ method. The British lecturers were found to adopt a constructivist approach to group discussion tasks, seeing them as a means by which students could obtain professional experience. They treated Business and Management knowledge as divergent and ‘soft’. Chinese lecturers and students, on the other hand, were found to perceive group discussion as a kind of assessment and were keen to find ‘correct’ answers to case study problems, treating Business and Management as convergent and hard disciplines which offered judgements on good practice. The Chinese lecturers in Part I of the programme organised group discussion so that students could exchange answers and check their accuracy, and, perhaps because of this, in Part I the students learnt in an exam-oriented way, strategically dividing up their tasks and working individually on their own task portions in order to find an acceptable answer as quickly as possible. These students were found to continue to employ these strategies during group work after they had transferred to the British component of their degree programme. The study has made a theoretical contribution to knowledge concerning the cultural influences on students’ classroom interactional practices. The findings from the study have implications for the teaching of intercultural business communication, and the enhancement of students’ learning experiences in international business programmes, in business English programmes in China, and whilst learning within groups.

Abstract Parenting Nutrition Skills Workshops: An Evaluation of Facilitated Group Discussions to Enhance Parenting Nutrition Self-Efficacy By: Lisa Dawes, RD, CDE This research study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of using facilitated group discussion (FGD), a less traditional method of nutrition education, for increasing parents’ feelings of self-efficacy in their ability to make nutrition-related decisions, and to set and enforce nutrition-related boundaries with their children. Childhood obesity is on the rise; poor food choices, portion control, and inactivity are identified as contributing causes. Parents play a major role in creating healthy habits and providing a well-balanced diet for their children. Caregivers who act as the nutrition and behavior gatekeepers were targeted in this intervention. The objective of the current study was to enhance parenting nutrition education and identify barriers to healthy feeding practices in order to optimize nutrition and eating behavior. Twenty-one parents and three grandparents (n = 24) of preschool and school-aged children participated in one-hour FGD parenting nutrition skills workshops. Parent volunteers participated in one of four workshops in a Central California community. Prior to the workshop, topics for discussion were chosen from common feeding issues determined in the literature such as food-related decisions at various locations (home, school, dining out, on the road); feeding jags; and dealing with a picky eater. Parents completed validated questionnaires both before and immediately following the workshops. Two weeks after the workshops, parents were interviewed by telephone to measure longer-term impact of the FGD. Pre- and post-workshop questionnaires demonstrated that mean self-confidence levels significantly increased for the ability to set and enforce nutrition-related boundaries for their children directly after, and two weeks after participating in the FGD. Parents also demonstrated an increase in mean self-confidence levels in their ability to purchase nutritious foods and offer those foods to their children two weeks after participating in the FGD. Behaviors associated with an authoritative parenting style—such as modeling healthy eating; encouraging healthy food intake; and offering healthy foods without forcing the child to eat—were significantly higher two weeks after participating in the FGD. Significance may be attributed to the method of information delivery (FGD), the curriculum Feeding the Kids (FtK), or authoritative parents being more receptive to receiving new information, or a combination of all three. Overall, research results suggest that the use of FGD, coupled with a visual tool such as the Chat Mat created for this project, increased parents’ feelings of self-efficacy and elicited positive nutrition-related behaviors in adopting healthy feeding strategies for their children. Keywords: Nutrition education, facilitated group discussion, self-efficacy, parenting styles, feeding strategies, parenting nutrition skills

Background. Counselling psychologists require competency in various areas. Critical self-reflection is arguably one of the most important, and distinguishes the profession from other applied psychology. Groupwork facilitates change and understanding of the self in relation to others, offering counselling psychologist trainees a formal space for reflection, support and learning. Previous work has explored personal development and peer supervision groups for counselling psychologists and counsellours in training,but not the use of a case discussion group as part of a professional doctoral programme. Within a case discussion group, members are allocated the task of sharing their counselling practice by presenting cases in the presence of peers, with the ultimate aim of developing more effective ways of working with the issues presented. Method. A mixed methods design was used to investigate the experience of nine training counselling psychologists who had already completed a 12-week case discussion group. Before commencing, trainees completed a goal assessment form,indicating their goals and expectations. Trainees rated their goal on a Likert-type scale at regular intervals throughout the groups. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine trainees to explore how they believed participation in the group helped them reach their goals. Findings. Trainees indicated three goal types: to increase knowledge about different psychotherapeutic approaches, self-development and developing their ability to give and receive feedback within the groups. Trainees reported that participation helped them achieve their self-narrated goals. Change was most significant during the first half of group participation (between weeks three and seven). Four themes emerged from qualitative interview analysis: the experience of attending a case discussion group; establishing safety and trust within the group, engaging with boundaries and the structure of the group, and learning from being in a group and renegotiating goals. Conclusion. Identifying personal goals prior to attending a case discussion group is reported as a useful activity by counselling psychologists enrolled within a taught professional doctorate programme. Importantly, it does not interfere with how trainees experience the groups in question. However, there is a disparity between trainees' expectations and what they report gaining from attending a case discussion group. Overall trainees report benefits from attending a case discussion group although within the current context, it was found that hindering events within a group were not disclosed within qualitative interviews. This is considered in view of themethodological design whereby the researcher held dual relationships with participants. Recommendations for both counselling psychologists in training and for course trainers are presented.

This study examined the influence of different virtual manipulative types on the nature of students’ techno-mathematical discourse (TMD) when working with a partner. The research used a concurrent mixed-methods design using identical samples to compare and synthesize the results. For this study, six fifth-grade students participated in nine sessions of mathematics instruction using virtual manipulatives. The study compared three virtual manipulative types: combined (multiple representations, open environment), pictorial (single visual representation, open environment), and tutorial (multiple representations, structured environment). Students’ levels of discourse in generalization, justification, and collaboration were measured as well as students’ use of physical and computer gestures while working with each virtual manipulative type. One-way ANOVAs indicated statistically significant differences in quality of student discourse when using the different virtual manipulative types. When working with combined virtual manipulatives, students’ discussions reflected consistently higher levels of discourse than when working with pictorial or tutorial virtual manipulatives. When working with tutorial and pictorial virtual manipulatives, students’ discussions reflected consistently lower levels of discourse. However, pictorial virtual manipulatives were associated with the largest amount of discussion among student pairs and the highest frequency of gesture use. The results of this study suggest that in order to encourage meaningful TMD, teachers should choose technology tools (e.g., virtual manipulatives) that combine multiple representations (i.e., combined virtual manipulative type) and provide the opportunity to engage in cognitively demanding tasks. The results of this study indicate that tutorial virtual manipulatives did not encourage meaningful mathematical discourse with these student pairs. This means that the tutorial virtual manipulative type may be better suited for the practice of mathematics concepts or for individual learning than for partner work. The patterns and trends identified in this study contribute to the existing literature on the complex issues that surround mathematical discourse and the use of technology in the classroom.

English Learners experience challenges related to comprehension of science text particularly at the high school level. The language of science differs significantly from that of conversation and expository text. Students benefit from collaborative interpretation of readings. Additionally, there appears to be a need to train adolescents in the oral language skills requisite for academic discourse. This study employed a sample of high school physical science students (N = 75) whose first language was Spanish and who were currently developing English language proficiency. It used quasi-experimental methodology with treatment and comparison groups, during the normal operations of the public school classroom. It tested the effect of training with a textbook summarization method and with an academic conversation strategy on the comprehension of state-adopted science textbook readings. Posttest scores of both groups were analyzed using an ANOVA. Posttest scores of treatment group members were analyzed in relation to prior science knowledge, reading level, gender, and level of English proficiency using a factorial ANOVA. Findings suggest that the treatment had a positive impact on the achievement of students who had a low level of English language proficiency. In light of the at-risk nature of this population, given low socioeconomic status and that a high percentage of families are migrant workers, this in encouraging. The basic premise of the treatment appears promising. Evidence collected pertaining to its effect relative to students’ general ESOL level, science background knowledge, literacy skills, and gender neither confirmed nor denied the viability of the strategy. The further significance of this study is that it adds to the body of research on strategies to support English Learners.

碩士<br>銘傳大學<br>公共管理與社區發展研究所碩士在職專班<br>92<br>The mind and attitude held by the leaders of public affairs in the modern times shall not be limited to dictatorship and top-to-bottom control, which is often observed in the traditional administration system. Instead, the leaders shall make use of their influences to promote the morale and efficiency of whole team and to eliminate resistances and fears. With reference to the concept of customer services, the leaders shall treat followers as if they were internal customers. Replacing leadership with services, guide the organization to adopt a corporate culture that exhibits high performance and quality. This research employs the staff members of Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation Muzha Station Group as its research target and adopts “behavioral research method” and “thesis selection research method” as its main research methods. The research also draws on related theories from within and outside of Taiwan, such as transformational leadership, communication, organizational citizenship behavior , morale, and customer orientation, in addition to the use of research methods including “literature survey method”, “participant observation method”, and “depth interview method” to study and discuss how could the directors at Muzha Station Group enhance and improve the interactive relationship with its employees by employing transformational leadership. By completing the generalized analysis, this research offers several other suggestions in addition to the research result recommendation derived from the basis of the research objective, hoping to provide some management level guidelines to staff members of Muzha Station Group as how to employ transformational leadership: 1.For senior employees, how should the management level staffs of the Muzha Station Group employ transformational leadership to help them regain the passion for the station works. 2.For inexperience employees, how should the management level staffs of the Muzha Station Group employ transformational leadership to help them get accustomed to the work environment. 3.How should the leaders interact with those followers who believe and currently in reality that they do not have any opportunity to be promoted, that leads to opposing opinions and deterring behaviors. 4.As for the violation incident of modifying IC Smart Card by station staff without prior consent, how could the management level staffs employ transformational leadership to mitigate the psychological harm to minimal and to prevent similar incidents from happening again. 5.How should management level staffs, who have never taken on the junior position before, interact with followers. 6.To organize periodic transformational leadership professional knowledge seminars. 7.To develop “promotional education” training lessons for organizational members that mutually connects learning with career planning.

碩士<br>銘傳大學<br>公共事務學系碩士在職專班<br>92<br>The mind and attitude held by the leaders of public affairs in the modern times shall not be limited to dictatorship and top-to-bottom control, which is often observed in the traditional administration system. Instead, the leaders shall make use of their influences to promote the morale and efficiency of whole team and to eliminate resistances and fears. With reference to the concept of customer services, the leaders shall treat followers as if they were internal customers. Replacing leadership with services, guide the organization to adopt a corporate culture that exhibits high performance and quality. This research employs the staff members of Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation Muzha Station Group as its research target and adopts “behavioral research method” and “thesis selection research method” as its main research methods. The research also draws on related theories from within and outside of Taiwan, such as transformational leadership, communication, organizational citizenship behavior , morale, and customer orientation, in addition to the use of research methods including “literature survey method”, “participant observation method”, and “depth interview method” to study and discuss how could the directors at Muzha Station Group enhance and improve the interactive relationship with its employees by employing transformational leadership. By completing the generalized analysis, this research offers several other suggestions in addition to the research result recommendation derived from the basis of the research objective, hoping to provide some management level guidelines to staff members of Muzha Station Group as how to employ transformational leadership: 1.For senior employees, how should the management level staffs of the Muzha Station Group employ transformational leadership to help them regain the passion for the station works. 2.For inexperience employees, how should the management level staffs of the Muzha Station Group employ transformational leadership to help them get accustomed to the work environment. 3.How should the leaders interact with those followers who believe and currently in reality that they do not have any opportunity to be promoted, that leads to opposing opinions and deterring behaviors. 4.As for the violation incident of modifying IC Smart Card by station staff without prior consent, how could the management level staffs employ transformational leadership to mitigate the psychological harm to minimal and to prevent similar incidents from happening again. 5.How should management level staffs, who have never taken on the junior position before, interact with followers. 6.To organize periodic transformational leadership professional knowledge seminars. 7.To develop “promotional education” training lessons for organizational members that mutually connects learning with career planning

碩士<br>淡江大學<br>教育科技學系碩士班<br>93<br>The promotion of web-based instruction brings many positive prospects to the field of education; however, there are many differences in the preparation and utilization of teaching materials and methods for instructors between the web-based instruction and traditional instruction. The key is to facilitate instructors and learners in communicating and interacting effectively and integrate teaching materials, teaching methods, and strategies construct interactive learning environment. The main purpose of this study is focused on exploring and generating practical guidelines of web-based teaching strategies for group discussion, panel discussion, and role-playing. This study reviews the literature of web-based teaching methods and strategies; a visual interface is developed for web-based interactive strategies of the group discussion, panel discussion, and role-playing. Furthermore, these interactive strategies are implemented in the course of “Instructional strategies and methods” in the Department of Educational Technology at the Tamkang University. In order to demonstrate the effects of the web-based interactive strategies, observation, focus group interview, and in-depth interview are employed to collect learners’ and experts’ opinions. Through the implementation, observation, interview, and evaluation, guidelines for web-based instructional strategies are generalized for the instructors’ reference material in developing web-based teaching methods and instructional strategies.

Class size has long been recognized as a factor affecting achievement in face-to-face contexts. However, few studies have examined the effects of class size in online courses, or the effects of dividing an online class into smaller discussion groups. The current study examined the relationship between class size and the use of grouping strategies on note reading, note writing, and collaborative discussions in online graduate-level courses. This mixed-methods study analyzed tracking logs from 25 graduate-level online courses using Web Knowledge Forum (25 instructors and 341 students) and interviews from 10 instructors and 12 graduate students with diverse backgrounds. The quantitative and qualitative data analyses were designed to complement each other. Findings suggested 13 to 15 as an optimal class size and four to five as an ideal subgroup size. Not surprisingly, the results revealed that, as class size increased, the total notes that participants read increased significantly. However, as class size increased, the percentage of course notes that students read decreased significantly (i.e., students were reading a smaller proportion of the course notes). In larger classes, participants were more likely to experience information overload and students were more selective in the notes that they read. A significant positive correlation was found between class size and total notes written. Students’ note size and grade-level score were negatively correlated with class size. The data also suggest that the overload effects of large classes can be minimized by dividing students into small groups for discussion purposes. Interviewees felt that the use of small groups in large classes benefited their collaborative discussions. The preceding results underscore the importance of using small discussion groups when class sizes are large. The research concludes with a list of pedagogical recommendations and suggests new software features that may help enhance learning in online courses.

Den Ausgangspunkt dieser Arbeit bildete die Auseinandersetzung um Landschaft und deren Bedeutung für eine landschaftsbezogene Identitätsbildung aus Sicht der Bewohner ebenso wie aus der planerischen Perspektive. Da Landschaft erst durch die Interpretation ihrer Betrachter und deren Handlungspraktiken zu dem wird, was im Sinne ihrer Nutzer auch den Wert ausmacht, gilt es v. a. sich diesen wertgebenden Prozessen und deren bezugnehmenden Merkmalen zu widmen. Der planerische Auftrag identifikationsstiftende Landschaftsmerkmale zu erfassen und dabei das konstruktivistische Landschaftverständnis als ein Konstrukt eines kollektiven Sozialzusammenhanges verfolgend, bietet für einen Landschaftsdiskurs den größten Anknüpfungspunkt und bringt in seiner Logik das Anliegen der Landschaftsinterpretation von Bewohnern hervor. Schwerpunkt dieser Arbeit ist es herauszustellen, welche Aspekte identitätsstiftender landschaftsbezogener Merkmale die Bewohner für die Verhandlung um raumbezogene Zugehörigkeit hinzuziehen und wie diese mit den Merkmalen der planerischen Analyse übereinstimmen oder sich ergänzen bzw. wie sie verhandelt werden. Mithilfe eines Gruppendiskussionsverfahrens sollen diese Merkmale aus Sicht der Bewohner, methodisch aufbauend auf einer „klassischen“ Kulturlandschaftserfassung, angekoppelt und ergänzt werden. Das Gruppendiskussionsverfahren als Methode der qualitativen Sozialforschung eignet sich zum einen als qualitativer Forschungsansatz für diese Arbeit, weil er eine freie Entfaltung der Relevanzsysteme und damit ein kontrolliertes Fremdverstehen ermöglicht. Im Rahmen des Aneignungsprozesses um Landschaft soll das zentrale Prinzip der Offenheit angesetzt werden, was im Sinne von Kruse (2015, 65) bedeutet, das eigene Relevanzsystem (planerischer Hintergrund) zu öffnen, um das Fremde an sich heranzulassen. Es geht weniger darum den eigenen Standpunkt, Wissensbestände und Konzepte anzuzweifeln, als vielmehr eine reflexive Sensibilisierung für eine eigene Relevanz zu erreichen (vgl. Kruse 2015, 71). Zum anderen liegt die hohe Eignung in einer nondirektiven Gruppenleitungsform und zusätzlich in einer Vielfalt der Diskussionsteilnehmenden. Unter Gruppendiskussion ist ein Gespräch aus bis zu 15 Teilnehmern zu einem gemeinsamen Thema zu verstehen, wobei der Fragende keine vornehmlich gesprächsleitende, sondern v. a. eine beobachtende Position inne hat (nondirektive). Im Rahmen des Forschungsprojektes „Kulturlandschaftspojekt Mittelsachsen“ des Lehrstuhls Landschaftsplanung unter Leitung von Frau Prof. Dr. Catrin Schmidt im Auftrag des Landkreis Mittelsachsen, wurden von der Bearbeiterin in neun Gemeinden des Landkreises Gruppendiskussionen über einen Zeitraum von drei Monaten im Jahr 2014 durchgeführt. Die Auswertung der Gespräche erfolgte auf Basis der dokumentarischen Methode stufenweise. Dazu wurden die aufgezeichneten Gespräche in einem ersten Schritt transkribiert, im Weiteren durch eine formulierende Interpretation in die wesentlichen Themen selektiert und der immanente Sinngehalt wiedergegeben, um dann mit der refletierenden Interpretation zu forschungsleitenden Kernaussagen und Thesen zu kommen. Außerdem wurden die innerhalb des „Kulturlandschaftspojektes Mittelsachsen“ erarbeiteten, landschaftsbezogenen Merkmale der GIS-basierten Landschaftscharakterisierungen den Aussagen aus den Gruppengesprächen gegenübergestellt. In einer vertiefenden Interpretation anhand von Thesen wurden zudem die Zusammenhänge aktueller Landschaftsdiskurse in Abhängigkeit von gesellschaftlichen Rahmenbedingungen verifiziert und die Bedeutung für zu erwartende Trends herausgestellt. Nicht nur die Inhalte und Verhandlungspraktiken innerhalb des Gruppendiskussionsverfahrens wurden an neun geführten Gesprächsrunden analysiert, sondern auch die zur Durchführung notwendigen Schritte. Die gewonnenen Erkenntnisse aus den Zusammenhängen von Auswahl der Gruppenteilnehmenden und Art und Weise der Fragestellungen sowie der Motivation der Teilnehmenden und den Auswirkungen auf den Erfolg der Diskussion, bildeten die Basis für die Modifizierungsvorschläge eines Gruppendiskussionsverfahrens. Zusammenfassend zeigen diese konkreten Möglichkeiten wie mithilfe von Gruppendiskussionen das Landschaftwissen der Bewohner aufbauend auf einer planerischen Analyse eines Landschaftsausschnittes ermittelt und in ein Kulturlandschaftskonzept integriert werden können. Im Ergebnis wurde dabei deutlich, dass die Wahrnehmung einer Region nicht ohne den Bezug auf den konkreten lokalen Ort funktioniert. Von Vorteil stellte sich dabei das grenzübergreifende Denken der Bewohner heraus. Das Interesse raumbezogener Gesellschaftwissenschaften an Landschaft kann für die Landschaftsplanung sehr inspirierend sein, v. a. wenn das methodische Gerüst der sozialwissenschaftlichen Erhebungsmethoden dabei noch stärker mit den Planungswissenschaften verknüpft werden kann. Es gilt demnach Varianten der empirischen Erhebungsmethoden zum einen und Methoden der Auswertung zum anderen für eine Nutzung in planerischem Kontext weiterzudenken. Diese Arbeit liefert einen wichtigen Ansatz.

碩士<br>長庚大學<br>工商管理學系<br>99<br>With the fast development of times, how to rapidly acquire many decision-makers’ opimions of different evaluation criteria is a very important task. There are many criteria usually related to decision-maker’s personal feelings. Hence, how to convey different decision-makers’ feeling and opinions in detail at the same time is another important issue. In the past, mant scholars used linguistic variables to transfer decision-maker’s opinions and weights. However, different linguistic variables transformation standards usually showed differences decision makers’ opinions and data. Moreover, many transformation standards were generalized fuzzy numbers rather than interval-valued fuzzy numbers (IVFN). Therefore, this study would use TOPSIS, which is easy to calculate and which inclue many decision-maker’ opinions and weights. And using linguistic variables of IVFN to transfer decision-maker’s opinions of criteria and weights, which can express decision-maker’s opinions more detail and then making the decision-making problems more easily to be solved. This research will first review literatures about TOPSIS method, fuzzy TOPSIS method and group decision-making. And new linguistic variables of IVFN relying on literatures of linguistic variables are presented as well. After various decision-makers’ opinions and weights are transferred based on linguistic variables of IVFN, the matrix would be further normalized. By considering the difference importance of each criterion, the researcher constructs the weighted normalized fuzzy decision matrix. According to the distance of IVFN, the researcher calculates the distance between alternatives and the ideal (also negative-ideal) solutions. Then, with using closeness coefficient, the value of each alternative is finally ranked.Finally, we use other linguistic variables of general fuzzy number to transfer into linguistic variables of IVFN, and discuss the result with Spearman correlation coefficient. This research combines and discussion about group decision making, Fuzzy TOPSIS method and IVFN, and using the linguistic variable to converse another linguistic variable of IVFN with five-point scale. Then, with using the Spearman correlation coefficient comparison between the ranks of the alternatives, so that decision-makers in the complex environment for decision-making judgments of data can be more detailed, and they can get closer to the answers.

Relatório de estágio de mestrado em Educação (área de especialização em Formação, Trabalho e Recursos Humanos)<br>O presente relatório de estágio intitulado “Um contributo para a inclusão da análise de necessidades no ciclo formativo” é o resultado do trabalho realizado no âmbito do Mestrado em Educação - Especialização em Formação, Trabalho e Recursos Humanos e teve como principal objeto a formação, nomeadamente a análise de necessidades de formação aos formandos que frequentaram as formações modulares certificadas. A análise de necessidades de formação assume-se na prática formativa como um processo fundamental para uma conceção, gestão e avaliação da formação. Com efeito, no âmbito deste trabalho procurou-se desenvolver uma análise de necessidades com o intuito de problematizar métodos e modelos de análise defendidos por vários autores e, desse modo, procurar oferecer contributos para um modelo de análise mais aprofundado. Neste sentido, na linha de Meignant (1999), utilizamos a combinação de dois métodos de análise de necessidades, os inquéritos por meio de questionários e os grupos participativos. Contudo, trata-se mais de uma aproximação a estes, do que a aplicação exaustiva de todas as suas caraterísticas. Por conseguinte, para o levantamento de necessidades de formação procedeu-se a uma triangulação metodológica, ou seja, à utilização de diversos métodos de recolha de dados, nomeadamente: entrevista, questionários e grupo de discussão. Em suma, acredita-se que não se poderá falar aqui de uma análise de necessidades de formação, mas apenas de um contributo para a sua inclusão na análise de necessidades no ciclo formativo, que possa ter a vir continuidade no futuro.<br>The main subject of the present work was titled "A contribution to the inclusion of the needs analysis in the training cycle " is the result of work performed under the Master in Education - Specialization in Education , Labor and Human Resources and its main object the formation , including analysis of training needs to trainees sent to certified modular training . The analysis of training needs takes up the training practice as a fundamental process for a design, management and evaluation of training . Indeed, in this work we tried to develop a needs analysis in order to discuss methods and analysis models advocated by several authors and thereby seek to provide inputs to a model for further analysis. Thus, in line Meignant (1999), we use a combination of two methods of needs analysis surveys through questionnaires and participatory groups. However, it is more of an approach to these, than the exhaustive application of all its features. Therefore, for the training needs assessment carried to a methodological triangulation, ie the use of various methods of data collection, including: interviews, questionnaires and group discussion. In short, it is believed that one cannot speak here of an analysis of training needs, but only a contribution to their inclusion in the analysis of needs in the training cycle, which may have continued to come in the future.

Marine fish stocks are under serious threat of depletion due to increasing numbers of resource users with competing interests, resulting in degradation and the decline of fish catch. Using qualitative and quantitative techniques such as in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, household surveys and remote sensing and GIS, this study addresses: (1) the complex and inter-related nature of resource dependency, (2) the role of assets in determining survival strategies of households in artisanal fishing communities in Ponnani, India, (3) how asset degradation impacts resource-dependent households, (4) how households develop survival strategies, and (5) considers access to social, political, physical, human and financial assets. Information is organized using the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF) with modifications to suite the local complexities. Results show that households - engaged in diverse activities, including fishing, fish processing/marketing/culture and daily labour - evolved property rights of natural resources over generations. The Pathemari cargo business’s limited knowledge of fisheries compared to artisanal fishers, and the government led modernization resulted in resource degradation. Therefore, artisanal fishers living in coastal wards threatened by intense erosion, abandoned traditional occupations in pursuit of livelihood security. Results from image analysis and derived thematic maps indicate increased erosion of 0.35 sq km shoreline coinciding with government development initiatives. To improve livelihood options, the results indicate that 50% surveyed accessed political assets such as fishers’ cooperatives and only 20% accessed financial assets such as government sponsored schemes and loans. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions revealed many limiting factors of access, specifically marginalization and lack of financial assets: only 6% surveyed could raise enough money to migrate. With changes in technology, from harvesting to processing, gender roles are being radically altered. Women are losing jobs and income. Politically, the study revealed that local participation helped governing bodies prioritize on housing, roads, water and sanitation. Analysis of the information through the modified SLF suggests three strategies to enhance the asset base of coastal poor: strengthening grassroots organizations; transforming state relations; and developing new alternatives to conventional coastal development practice. Finally, the study suggests resource management policies to improve the households’ livelihood options and well-being.

This thesis considers two questions, "How children aged 12 to 15 years rethinking of biblical texts? And how can using the Philosophy for Children stimulate thinking about faith of children aged 12 to 15 years?" To answer these questions, I chose the qualitative research, which consisted in various discussions in selected focus groups. This dialogue was guided by the principles of philosophy for children. The theoretical part of my thesis deals with the definition of important concepts, such as religious education, catechesis from the perspective of various documents of the Church and other educational programs, and specifying the key differences between these two concepts, define the structure and principles of philosophy for children, but also the historical development of this program. The practical part deals with the qualitative research in focus groups. This research includes discussion of selected focus groups, where individual statements are encoded and then included in the table of frequencies. According to these tables discussions is evaluated in terms of statements frequencies. Subsequently the content of discussions is also evaluated. The codes are divided into categories from which discussions are evaluated in the final summary with answers to the key questions.